Stellar convective stability

Stellar convective stability compares the density of an adiabatically displaced fluid element with its new surroundings. Temperature and composition gradients determine whether buoyancy restores the element or amplifies its displacement.

In a thin ideal-gas grey atmosphere with $T^4=T_e^4(1/2+3\tau /4)$, constant enclosed mass $M$ and luminosity $L$, and $\kappa ={\kappa }_0\rho T^{13}$, divide the stellar hydrostatic equation by radiative diffusion in a star. This gives $PdP/dT=16\pi acGM\mathcal{R}{T}^{-9}/(3{\kappa }_{0}L\mu )$. Integrating from $P=0$, $T^4=T_e^4/2$, yieldsLogarithmic derivative gives $\nabla =T^8/T_e^8-1/4$. For a monatomic gas gas, the Schwarzschild criterion reaches equality at $\nabla =2/5$, hence $T/T_e=(13/20{)}^{1/8}$. The purely radiative profile cannot be continued past this point as a convectively stable model.

Stellar convective instability occurs when an adiabatic process displaces a fluid element and buoyancy amplifies the displacement. For uniform composition the Schwarzschild criterion gives instability when the actual temperature gradient exceeds the adiabatic temperature gradient; composition gradients instead require the Ledoux criterion.

A uniform-density perfect-gas sphere supported by decreasing pressure has buoyancy frequency squared $N^2=-2{\omega }_d^2{r}^2/[\gamma (R^2-r^2)]$ in the interior. Its specific entropy decreases outward and adiabatic displacements are buoyantly unstable. For the nonradial polynomial family, the product of the two normalized squared mode frequencies is $-l(l+1)$, displaying one growing branch even when radial compression modes are stable.

For uniform composition, a stellar layer is convectively stable when $\nabla <{\nabla }_{\mathrm{ad}}$ and unstable when $\nabla >{\nabla }_{\mathrm{ad}}$, where $\nabla =d\log T/d\log P$.

With a composition gradient, stability requiresA mean molecular weight increasing inward normally provides an additional stabilizing term.

For a grey atmosphere with $T^4=\frac{3}{4}{T}_{\mathrm{eff}}^4(\tau +2/3)$ and $P^2=P_0^2\log (1+3\tau /2)$, logarithmic differentiation givesA monatomic perfect gas of uniform composition has adiabatic temperature gradient $2/5$. The Schwarzschild criterion therefore predicts the first marginally unstable layer at ${\tau }_c=\frac{2}{3}(e^{4/5}-1)$, and convection for larger optical depth. Beyond that onset, the assumed purely radiative profile is no longer a self-consistent transport solution.

A convective core is a central stellar region in which the radiative temperature gradient exceeds the adiabatic threshold. Efficient convection makes its entropy nearly uniform and mixes its composition.

The global Eddington closure $L=(1-\beta )4\pi cGM/\kappa$, combined with a representative stellar gas-pressure fraction, makes the exterior stellar radiative temperature gradient approximately $M/(4m)$ when the luminosity is constant outside the core. Matching it to the adiabatic temperature gradient estimates the displayed boundary mass. This is a closure estimate: imposing exactly uniform $\beta$ throughout a finite-mass radiative envelope also conflicts with constant luminosity, as described by the constant-beta radiative-envelope obstruction.

A convective envelope is an outer stellar region in which convection carries a substantial fraction of the energy and mixes material. Its nearly adiabatic response to rapid mass loss is important for the dynamical stability of binary mass transfer.

A radiative envelope transports most of its energy by radiative diffusion. Its stratified entropy profile gives a different rapid mass-loss response from a convective envelope.

For a negligible-mass ideal-gas envelope above a core of mass $M_c$, with constant luminosity $L$ and Kramers' opacity law, division of hydrostatic equilibrium by radiative diffusion gives $PdP/dT=16\pi acG{M}_c\mathcal{R}{T}^{15/2}/(3{\kappa }_{0}L\mu )$. Taking the outer pressure constant to be negligible yields $P=C{T}^{17/4}$, where $C^2=64\pi acG{M}_c\mathcal{R}/(51{\kappa }_{0}L\mu )$, and $\rho =(\mu C/\mathcal{R})T^{13/4}$. Hydrostatic equilibrium then gives $dT/dr=-4\mu G{M}_c/(17\mathcal{R}{r}^2)$, so $T=B/r+T_0$ with $B=4\mu G{M}_c/(17\mathcal{R})$. The radiative-zero choice $T_0=0$ is exact for a vanishing-temperature boundary at infinity and a deep-envelope approximation for a very extended finite star. It is not implied by small surface temperature alone at a specified finite radius.

For a constant-luminosity radiative envelope with ideal-gas pressure and Kramers' opacity law, impose power laws on enclosed mass, density, pressure and temperature while retaining $M_r^{\prime }=4\pi r^2\rho$. If their exponents are $m,b,p,d$, respectively, mass conservation gives $m=b+3$, hydrostatic balance gives $d=m-1$, the gas law gives $d=p-b$, and diffusion gives $d-1=2b-2-13d/2$. Solving gives $(m,b,p,d)=(1,-32,-42,-10)/11$. In particular $R/r_c=(T_c/T_R{)}^{11/10}$. Neglecting envelope self-gravity instead sets $M_r$ approximately constant and changes the exponents to $d=-1,b=-13/4,p=-17/4$; that approximation is not an exact solution of mass conservation with nonzero density.

A thin radiative envelope with constant enclosed mass, luminosity and mean molecular weight, ideal gas pressure and opacity $\kappa ={\kappa }_0{\rho }^n{T}^{-s}$ has $a=n+1$, $b=n+s+4$, and $C=16\pi a_{\mathrm{rad}}cGM/[3{\kappa }_0(\mu m_u/k_B{)}^{n}L]$. Combining radiative diffusion in a star with hydrostatic equilibrium gives ${\nabla }_{\mathrm{rad}}=P^a/(C{T}^b)$, so $P^a-P_0^a=(aC/b)(T^b-T_0^b)$ for nonzero exponents. Zero exponents give logarithmic limits. The model must be stopped or modified if the Schwarzschild criterion predicts convection.

For $P=C(T^b+K{)}^{1/p}$ with $p=n+1$ and $b=4+n+m$, the logarithmic radiative temperature gradient is $(p/b)(1+K/T^b)$. At a marginal boundary with an efficient ideal-gas convective envelope, the Schwarzschild criterion equates it to $(\gamma -1)/\gamma$. Hence $K=T_b^b[(b/p)(\gamma -1)/\gamma -1]$. The notation $K=T_0^b$ with real positive $T_0$ requires a nonnegative bracket. Vanishing $p$ or $b$ needs the corresponding logarithmic integration instead of this power form.

In a negligible-mass, non-burning stellar envelope with $P=K{T}^{5/2}$ and Kramers' opacity law $\kappa ={\kappa }_1\rho T^{-7/2}$, the stellar radiative temperature gradient is ${\nabla }_{\mathrm{rad}}=3{\kappa }_1\mu K^{2}L/(16\pi ac\mathcal{R}GM{T}^{7/2})$. It decreases inward as the temperature rises, so the inner edge of efficient convection is where it equals $2/5$. If outer matching gives $K\propto g^{1/2}{T}_e^{-2\beta -5/2}$, then $T_b^{7/2}\propto K^{2}L/M\propto T_e^{-4\beta -1}$, since $g=GM/R^2$ and $L=4\pi R^2\sigma T_e^4$. Hence $T_b\propto T_e^{-(8\beta +2)/7}$.

A fully convective star has convection throughout nearly its entire interior. Very low-mass red dwarfs are fully convective; the transition to this structure is used in the disrupted magnetic braking model.